A Poznan of Adventures!

Adam Mickiewicz University

When Aristotle said "a great city is not to be confounded with a populous one", he perhaps was thinking not very far from a city like Poznan. With a population of a little under six hundred thousand, this city enjoys what other cities of jumbo-sized populations relish. What with almost 135,000 student population, 200 majors in 28 universities, a hundred thousand career proposition companies and  one of the fastest growing economies in the country with an unemployment rate of just 4%. And in case you're wondering if a city can have it all, well maybe Poznan is fast turning out to be the unsung darling of Europe and the world at large. It enjoys a mild winter and could also fit in as a paramount summer get-away. Most foreigners who come here describe this city as fait accompli.

During the weeks that followed my night-out, staying indoor had become inevitable. It'd be like sleeping in the middle of a storm. There was too much to see and do and even though studying was primary, other exertions had to be added to it. Everyone knows the story of the proverbial Jack who said something about all work and no play. The following day took me to the old garrison occupied by soldiers during World War II. Walking around the barracks, I pictured in my brain's eye how the soldiers lived during that time. There's an arsenal of armored tanks, fighter planes, weapons and motor-bikes. To the eastern part of the preservation is the fortress in which the soldiers dwelt for the duration of the war. It's something like a substructure built with concrete and steel and it's really huge. On the way out is the cemetery. There's a part where there were graves of only Polish soldiers, another one for Germans and the last one for English soldiers. One that particularly stuck out as typical with that unfortunate time in history was the tomb of an unknown soldier.

WW2 memory

I told my friend that was enough grief for the day and we set out on some adrenaline driving mission. He took me to the old train bridge that lies above the Warta river. Now, only very old trains carrying cargo use this bridge at random as new and modern rail tracks have since replaced it. This is no place for anyone with a fear of heights. I had to stand on a very old bridge that was above fifty meters of a flowing river that was at least two meters deep. Looking down made my head spin and it didn't stop at that. The bridge vibrates whenever a train crawls by giving the feeling that the planks are going to give way to a free-fall into the River Warta sweeping calmly below. At the sight of the first train, the only question I asked my chum was the temperature of the water below us. If at least I was going to fall, I had to prepare for it and in some measure  could still swim to save my life. Then came the train. I'd been hoping it was a short one with a minimum of about five cars but as it groveled along the old tracks, I knew my hope was lost in futility. The bridge pulsed and I grabbed the railings for dear life while I struggled to take pictures. Other on-lookers cheered as they enjoyed the moment but lily-livered me could only fake a smile as my head spun and the only wish I had was to find a balance underneath my legs. Summoning courage, I let go of the railings and looked fixedly at the steel cars clattering in front of me. By the time the last car glided past, my fear had given away to a rush of adrenaline and yells were ringing out from the long line of people standing on the bridge. It felt like something from a Hollywood action movie and even for a moment, I pretended to be some special agent who was on a mission to salvage a chemical weapon hidden on a train. Something my memory related to from the Skyfall movie. On our way to the theater house, I couldn't resist seeing the exotic meat shop. Stuck somewhere close to an open market, this meat shop would quench any meat lover's hunger. There was game of various kinds, so also were mutton, goat, horse and rabbit meat.

River Warta

George Orwell said freedom is the right to say that two plus two equals four. In Poznan, freedom means being a resident. Nothing else had ever felt like freedom.

Train crossing the Old Bridge